Use of Edibles as Effective Tools in Myofunctional Therapy: A Pilot Study

AIM

The aim of this retrospective study is to explore the introduction of edible spread cream and small candies as tools to improve motivation and compliance in young children undergoing myofunctional therapy, with the purpose of optimizing oral functions, including swallowing.

METHODS

Six patients, one female and five males, between the ages of 7 and 14 years, presenting with atypical swallowing, were evaluated and treated at the clinic of the University of L'Aquila. The patients included in the study were randomly divided into two groups and were treated with two different treatment protocols: Group A: traditional myofunctional therapy and traditional tools; Group B: same exercises as group A, but with edible tools (spreadable cream and small candies).

RESULTS

As expected, the two patients who used edible tools demonstrated increased motivation and collaboration during myofunctional therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

Patient compliance, especially in very young patients, limits the effectiveness of myofunctional therapy; therefore, creative solutions are needed to achieve greater cooperation, and edible tools can play a significant part in retraining correct swallowing. Although the sample of this pilot study is small, the results suggest that using actual edible tools in myofunctional therapy could increase compliance and provide better results in myofunctional therapy.

Effect of Class II functional treatment on facial attractiveness, as perceived by professionals and laypeople

The literature offers different perspectives for and against two-phase treatment of skeletal Class II malocclusion. Facial attractiveness is an important aspect to take into account, given that children with skeletal Class II are often bullied by their peers and have low self-esteem and a lower social perception. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the aesthetic perception of facial profiles by a large number of observers, before and after treatment with a functional appliance, compared to untreated controls. The pre- and post-treatment cephalograms of 20 Class II subjects treated with Sander’s bite-jumping appliance and 20 untreated historical controls were collected and transformed into black and white silhouettes depicting only the lower third of the face. An online questionnaire comprising the silhouettes of the two groups, three “calibration” profiles and an “ideal” profile was submitted to dentists, orthodontists, undergraduates and laypeople, asking them to rate the profile’s attractiveness using a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). The effect of treatment, and observers’ age, expertise and gender were analysed. The calibration images and the ideal profiles were used to evaluate the coherence of each observer’s judgement. The protocol was approved by the local Ethics Committee. Nine-hundred and ten questionnaires were collected. Treated subjects showed a larger improvement of facial attractiveness compared to controls. A significant effect of gender on the observer’s ratings was observed. Some observers showed incoherent judgement, which had a significant effect on the regression model. In conclusion, early treatment with functional appliances seems to improve patients’ facial aesthetics. This improvement is perceived equally by dental professionals and laypeople.

[Nutritional and Functional assessment of peritoneal dialysis patients in the clinical practice: Report from MITO-DP Group]

Nutritional abnormalities and physical inactivity are risk factors of increased morbidity and mortality in patients with ESRD. Identify and define malnutrition, in particular protein-energy depletion (PEW), is an important task in the management of renal patients. The aim of this multicenter observational study was to implement the assessment of nutritional status and functional capacity in patients on peritoneal dialysis, including tests and validated methods which are relatively easy to apply in daily clinical practice. The study includes all the 133 prevalent patients (80 m, 53 f, age 65 14 years), in peritoneal dialysis treatment (vintage 26 19 months) in 9 centers in Tuscany. We performed anthropometry, bioimpedance (BIA), clinical biochemistry, evaluation of habitual physical activity (RAPA tests) and performance (Sit-To-Stand test), appetite-evaluation questionnaire, and indices including the Malnutrition Inflammation Score (MIS), Geriatric Nutrition Risk Index (GNRI), Charlson comorbidity index, Barthel and Karnowsky index. The latter showed a condition of dependence in 7.2% and 19.7% of cases, respectively. Poor appetite was recorded in 48.2%. The majority of patients fell within the overweight / obesity range (51%) with waist circumference values associated with increased cardiovascular risk in 51% of males and 60% of females. At the BIA analysis, a BCMI <8 kg/m2 was detected in 39% of patients; an estimated protein intake <1.0 g / kg/d was found in 59% of cases; 34% of patients had serum albumin <3.5 g / dl; control of acidosis was good (bicarbonate 25.4 3.8 mM) but hyperphosphatemia was present in 64.6% of patients. A condition of sedentary or light physical activity was reported by 65.1% of patients, vigorous activity only by 11.9%. The 86.5% of patients able to perform the Sit-to-stand test reported a lower than the reference values for age and sex. A diagnosis of PEW was possible in 8% of our series, while a MIS score> 11, indicative of PEW, took place in 12.7% of cases. The values of the MIS correlated directly with age and the degree of comorbidity and inversely with the sit-to-stand test, RAPA tests and appetite level. The data in this study show that single tests indicative of malnutrition disorders are frequent to be found in our series of peritoneal dialysis patients. However, a diagnosis of PEW is quite infrequent. A large percentage of patients are overweight with increased abdominal adiposity, and reduced cell mass and protein intake below recommended levels; the level of habitual physical activity is low, and the level of physical capability is scarce. Therefore it is conceivable a nutritional counseling intervention to increase the intake of proteins, limiting the phosphorus and (when indicated) energy intake and to stimulating spontaneous physical activity or arranging assisted programs for functional rehabilitation. Close monitoring of the nutritional status and implementation of programs of adapted physical activity should have a prominent role in the clinical management of patients on peritoneal dialysis.

Rhizosphere dynamics during phytoremediation of olive mill wastewater

The potential of phytoremediation as a treatment option for olive mill wastewater (OMW) was tested on five perennial tree species. Cupressus sempervirens and Quercus ilex proved tolerant to six-month OMW treatment followed by six-month water irrigation, whereas Salix sp. and Laurus nobilis and, later, Pinus mugo suffered from phytotoxic effects. Test plants were compared to controls after treatment and irrigation, by monitoring biochemical and microbiological variations in the rhizosphere soil. OMW-treated soils were exposed to 50-fold higher phenols concentrations, which, irrespective of whether the respective plants were OMW-resistant or susceptible, were reduced by more than 90% by the end of the irrigation cycle, owing to significantly increased laccase, peroxidase and β-glucosidase activities, recovery/acquisition of bacterial culturability and transitory development of specialized fungal communities sharing the presence of Geotrichum candidum. Of all results, the identification of Penicillium chrysogenum and Penicillium aurantiogriseum as dominant rhizosphere fungi was distinctive of OMW-tolerant species.

Isocratic separation of monosaccharides using immobilized Concanavalin A

The successful fractionation of a mixture of monosaccharides using an immobilized lectin column operating under isocratic conditions is described. The key factors for effective separation were found to be sample size, feed velocity and column length. Under optimal conditions it was possible to obtain complete resolution of a mixture of L-arabinose, D-fructose and D-mannose in less than 40 min.

Molecular analysis of UAS(E), a cis element containing stress response elements responsible for ethanol induction of the KlADH4 gene of Kluyveromyces lactis

KlADH4 is a gene of Kluyveromyces lactis encoding a mitochondrial alcohol dehydrogenase activity, which is specifically induced by ethanol and insensitive to glucose repression. In this work, we report the molecular analysis of UAS(E), an element of the KlADH4 promoter which is essential for the induction of KlADH4 in the presence of ethanol. UAS(E) contains five stress response elements (STREs), which have been found in many genes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae involved in the response of cells to conditions of stress. Whereas KlADH4 is not responsive to stress conditions, the STREs present in UAS(E) seem to play a key role in the induction of the gene by ethanol, a situation that has not been observed in the related yeast S. cerevisiae. Gel retardation experiments showed that STREs in the KlADH4 promoter can bind factor(s) under non-inducing conditions. Moreover, we observed that the RAP1 binding site present in UAS(E) binds KlRap1p.

Species-specific selection on soil fungal population after olive mill waste-water treatment

Soil was treated with olive mill waste water (OMW) in order to study the effect of this agriculture waste on soil fungal population. Changes in fungal composition were observed after soil pollution. In order to test OMW selective pressure, growth kinetics of Penicillium cyclopium, Scopulariopsis brevicaulis and Cladosporium cladosporioides were studied on solid media supplemented with different OMW concentrations. S. brevicaulis and C. cladosporioides did not grow at OMW concentration higher than 50%, while at concentrations lower than 50% a growth decrease was observed. Instead, P. cyclopium was able to actively grow at all concentrations of OMW tested. Therefore the OMW can influence and modify the soil fungal homeostasis.

Ligation of nonmatching DNA molecule ends

T4 DNA ligase can promote the in vitro ligation of blunt DNA ends to ends bearing a 2-nucleotide single-stranded protrusion. This was shown by digestion of plasmids pBR322 and pSP71 with the appropriate restriction enzymes followed by recircularization of the plasmids and transformation of Escherichia coli. It could be ruled out that such nonmatching ligations are due to the presence of contaminating nucleases. The efficiency of ligation is of the same order of magnitude as that obtained with blunt end ligations. The interaction of a number of different combinations of blunt and sticky ends, the latter bearing both 3' and 5' protrusions, was investigated. Ligation of nonmatching ends was shown to take place in all cases. Several ligation junctions were sequenced, showing that during the ligation process the 2-nucleotide protrusion is trimmed away. In two instances the ligation event was accompanied by the specific loss of either 3 or 15 nucleotide pairs as well as the protrusion. An intermolecular ligation involving nonmatching ends was also performed, demonstrating that this form of ligation can be usefully employed in molecular cloning experiments.

In vitro identification of a protein of Saccharomyces cerevisiae that interacts specifically with the G-rich DNA strand of the telomere

The telomeres of Saccharomyces cerevisiae consist of a repeated G2-3T(GT)1-6 DNA sequence that forms a complex with proteins. To date only the RAP1 protein has been shown to bind to the simple sequences in yeast telomeric DNA, as well as to non-telomeric regulatory sites. We have used synthetic oligodeoxyribonucleotides, both double- and single-stranded, to identify specific yeast telomeric proteins in a partially purified yeast extract. Using the gel shift assay, we detected a binding activity that is stable at high ionic strength and that recognizes specifically the G-rich protrusion of a double-stranded synthetic yeast telomere, as well as the G-rich single strand. This is the first evidence of a purely telomeric protein in that it binds to the single-stranded telomeric protrusion of the yeast chromosome.

The HMG box-containing nucleolar transcription factor UBF interacts with a specific subunit of RNA polymerase I

The mammalian transcription activator protein UBF contains five tandemly repeated HMG homology domains which are required for DNA binding. We have used highly purified RNA polymerase I (Pol I) and upstream binding factor (UBF) and investigated whether these two proteins interact in solution. We show by a variety of different experimental approaches, such as immunoprecipitation, glycerol gradient sedimentation, affinity chromatography and protein blotting, that UBF physically associates with Pol I. Mutational analysis reveals that the HMG boxes play an important role in this specific interaction. UBF binds to mouse and yeast Pol I, demonstrating that the interaction of UBF with Pol I has been conserved during evolution. Interestingly, in both species one Pol I-specific subunit (34.5 kDa in yeast and 62 kDa in mouse) was recognized by UBF. No specific interaction was observed with Pol II. Unexpectedly, UBF was found to associate also with a unique subunit of yeast Pol III. This apparent specific interaction of UBF with the two classes of RNA polymerases may reflect functionally important interactions of HMG box-containing transcription factors with the transcriptional apparatus.

[Tertiary hyperparathyroidism during chronic kidney failure under dialysis treatment. Apropos a clinical case]

The authors describes a case of tertiary hyperparathyroidism (HPTH) in a uremic patient on intermittent dialysis treatment: the term refers to an adenoma with ensuing uncontrolled parathormone (PTH) secretion rate arising on the ground of hyperstimulated hypertrophied parathyroid glands. The syndrome was heralded clinically by bone pain, psychiatric disorder and biochemically by increased levels of calcium and alkaline phosphatase (AP), while parathormone (PTH), did not change from basal very high levels as commonly found in uraemic patients. As hypercalcemia in the hemodialyzed is an infrequent finding the only alternative explanation could have been hypercalcemic secondary HPTH related to hyperplastic autonomous parathyroids. For no clinical and laboratory findings as well as US findings and double scintigraphy (99mTc and 201mTl) may suggest differential diagnosis the patient underwent total parathyroidectomy which actually revealed an adenoma of the left superior parathyroid gland. Bone pain and psychiatric disturbances disappeared and now get well on chronic dialysis treatment and 1.25-OH Vit D3 supplement.

Treatment of solitary bone cysts with intramedullary nailing

The article describes the treatment of solitary bone cysts of the upper and lower limbs by means of elastic intramedullary nailing. In the 11 cases treated, bone rehabilitation was complete, probably due to the defluction of the intracystic fluid by means of the drainage caused by the nails.